The Great Pivot
The Great Pivot
Dear Cathedral Family,
In autumn 2019, the Cathedral vestry and I commissioned a task force to create a new vision plan for Christ Church. That task force worked diligently with the Cathedral councils for six months to discern, develop, and hone the plan, which was then presented to the vestry at our annual retreat at Camp Allen on February 15, 2020. The vestry adopted the new vision plan, “Rooted in Christ/Built on Christ” with gusto, and we all felt sure that the remainder of 2020 would include a celebratory launch and an enthusiastic enactment of the plan in a new and exciting chapter of the Cathedral’s life and ministry.
Two weeks later, on February 29, the United States recorded its first COVID-19 death. On March 11, the Houston Rodeo and Livestock Show was abruptly canceled. On March 15, at the request of Bishop Doyle, the Cathedral joined all other Episcopal churches in the Diocese of Texas and suspended in-person worship. The world shifted seismically for us as a community of faith. In those first few days I received voluminous messages ranging from encouragement to regret to woundedness. All were genuine and heartfelt. People — including me — could scarcely believe that we were not able to gather for prayer and the sacrament, and no one had any idea how long conditions would last.
I will admit that I spent a few furtive days in near-panic. What was the right course of action? What was the faithful thing to do? And then, in more ways than I can count and through the work of innumerable parishioners as well as our staff, we acted. I have taken to calling it “the Great Pivot.” In a manner that inspired and challenged in equal parts, we figured out how to continue to be the Cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas in a virtual world.
The Great Pivot began with a virtual Easter — we recorded Easter services on a single stationary camera and an iPad! — followed by an Acts in Easter multi-week small group virtual Bible study that captured the imagination not only of Cathedral parishioners but also of Episcopalians across the country. It continued with our May Fete promenade, during which dozens of parishioners drove around the Cathedral campus in festively-decorated cars. During the summer, the Cathedral community gathered on Zoom for the second-annual Cathedral Reads program, in which we collectively read and discussed the theologically-rich A Prayer for Owen Meany. At the same time, in collaboration with St. Martin’s and St. John the Divine, we created an online Vacation Bible School that was used by Episcopalians globally (yes, globally!). The Cathedral Choirs produced four virtual performances that enabled choir members to join their voices in song from a distance and provided soaring inspiration to parishioners. At the beginning of the fall, we distributed the incredible workbook Making a Home for Faith, to provide resources for encountering God in our homes. We hosted four safe outdoor Fall Gatherings that allowed us to see one another in the flesh. And, we figured out how to worship in person again while also livestreaming to hundreds of parishioners in their homes, being faithful to important safety precautions that express our Christian love for one another.
All the while, our pastoral care ministry canvassed Cathedral families by phone through the Cathedral Good Neighbors program, checking in on people with concerns both momentous and mundane. We had over 100 volunteer callers. Other pastoral care programs, such as our Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group and the Mourner’s Path, effectively pivoted to a virtual world just as our ministry programs did.
And our outreach to those beyond our community continued unabated. The Beacon expanded its services exponentially when most feeding ministries in the city suspended operations altogether. Our At-Risk Youth Program assisted an unprecedented number of families in crisis, providing a lifeline to those in dire need due to either the pandemic or its associated economic fallout. The Cathedral Urban Service Experience (CUSE) created online outreach for youth and college groups, reminding us that service continues even in a pandemic. The Mission and Outreach Council sponsored a blood drive, the Alternative Giving Market, and Christmas at the Cathedral to ensure that the needs of our local community did not go unmet.
After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, I didn’t think it possible for me to be more in awe of the Cathedral and our people’s faith. I guess I should know by now that God always surprises! The Great Pivot has demonstrated that St. Paul’s words spoken to the Christians in Rome two thousand year ago are still true:
“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37–39)
In their song “A Long December,” the Counting Crows muse, “Maybe this year will be better than the last.” With vaccines being administered daily, I have every hope this will be so! We will eventually gather again unimpeded and finally be able to begin living into the wonderful new vision plan, “Rooted in Christ/Built on Christ.” But I will always reflect on 2020 with gratitude for all the ways the Cathedral made the Great Pivot. We have been faithful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the state of the Cathedral is strong. As I begin my ninth year of service at Christ Church, I remain blessed to serve as your dean, and I give thanks to God for you.
Grace and peace,
The Very Reverend Barkley Thompson,
Dean
Every Member Canvass
This coming Wednesday, January 27, the Cathedral’s vestry will review and approve the 2021 budget. To be good stewards, the Cathedral only budgets pledges that are made known to the Stewardship office. If you have yet to make a pledge commitment for 2021 but are planning to financially support Christ Church Cathedral this year, please know that there is still time to make your pledge online, over the phone, or via email. We are so grateful for the continued support of the Cathedral’s mission in the year ahead!
Ways to make your pledge:
- Pledging online is easy.
- Return the pledge card you received by mail to 1117 Texas Ave, Houston, TX 77002.
- Make a pledge over the phone at 713-590-3338 or by email by contacting Karen Kraycirik, minister for stewardship.
Ways to pay your pledge:
- Go online to make an electronic payment via credit or debit card. You can also set up recurring payments via this form.
- Donate using PayPal via the Cathedral’s website: christchurchcathedral.org/give/
- Text the word “Give” to 888-998-1634
- Send a check to the Cathedral address: 1117 Texas Street, Houston, TX, 77002.
- Make a gift of stock or securities, using our stock donation instructions.
Learn more about this year’s EMC at: christchurchcathedral.org/emc
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